General
How are you doing Antonio (Una Paloma Blanca)?
Every company is dealing with the consequences of the Corona crisis. We asked the opinion of our relations/contacts on the present and the future. Today: Antonio Gutierrez Rubio Rensink (Una Paloma Blanca)
What impact does corona have on the work that Una Paloma Blanca does?
The image that people have of Una Paloma Blanca is a fun language school where you would like to go to learn a language, socialize and discover new possibilities for yourself in a fun and fast way.
Unfortunately, Covid-19 has ensured that socializing with each other 'one on one', in a group or seeing each other at an event is almost impossible. Fortunately, online teaching is nothing new for Una Paloma Blanca, as we have always taught online. It must be said that this was mainly for our business customers. At the beginning of the corona, online teaching naturally gave some headaches, but after all teachers had been trained with the Fast Speed training, everyone was ready to go for this new start.
What changes have you experienced as positive by Corona?
The heart of Una Paloma Blanca has always been great and during this time the team has not only shown that they are ready for each other, but also that we are strong together and can handle anything. In this way, everyone has contributed to maintain and even improve the top quality of the lessons of Una Paloma Blanca. In addition to strengthening the team spirit, Corona has given a final push to finish and publish our two new books. We had already started this great project before the corona started. The self-written Una Paloma Blanca methods 'Let's get Dutch 2' and 'Encompass: A journey into English 2' are now released and at level A2! Two wonderful and loving experiences that we can all be proud of.
What do you personally want to be the first to do again when everything 'opens' again? ”
Before the corona, it was one of the most natural things on earth to hug the people I care about. Maybe it sounds crazy, but when everything opens up again that's really the first thing I'm going to do, give my loved ones a big and firm hug.
But as far as our school is concerned, the first step is to open our doors and bring back our magical events. This way, all students who are on the edge of their seat can experience the ultimate Una Paloma Blanca experience again and finally return to our schools in Rotterdam and Eindhoven.
Hopefully we’ll also launch the new platform 'UPB braintraining & My UPB for students' soon. A platform where students can keep practicing, see who the teachers are, check their progress and find material. With the help of these platforms, the contact between teacher and student will become even better.
What is your best personal memory of 2020?
To be honest, I don't have any negative memories of 2020, of course the Corona virus came from an unexpected source, but everyone was able to adapt and discover the positive sides of it. With this super team around me, I feel like a lucky guy and the most loved person on earth. The best memory is therefore that the Una Paloma Blanca team has bundled their strengths together to continue and our team has become even closer.
Finally: which message do you want to give personally?
The message I want to give is: Don't give up, there is light at the end of every tunnel. This is a moment when humanity makes history and that we can all laugh about it later on. Make sure you can keep enjoying yourself and keep the positive spirit intact!
